Well, it's good that she had all the tests, but I'm really sorry she has IBS and has to deal with all that pain. I'd really recommend reading through the information on the main site (there are links to the left, "IBS Diet & Recipes"). Although there isn't a cure for IBS, a lot of people can manage their symptoms by following the diet guidelines, using heat packs and drinking hot herbal teas (peppermint is a great anti-spasmodic)for pain.
Getting stable by making dietary changes can take a while, so please let your sister know that she won't notice any significant changes overnight. Please let her know she's not alone. I've had IBS-D with pain for more than 10 years, since I was a teenager, and even though it's not linked to other serious diseases it can be debilitating and really affects your quality of life.
In addition to medications, it's important that she make other changes, avoiding foods that trigger attacks or put extra stress on the gastrocolic reflex and learning relaxation techniques that help with pain management.
You might want to see if your library carries the book The First Year: IBS, which is a valuable resource for those recently diagnosed with IBS or even those who have been dealing with IBS for years.
If you want to do some more research on IBS, I would start here:
IBS Diet FAQs
IBS Medications
American College of Gastroenterology - IBS
Edited by SPASMTASTICAL! (01/04/06 05:39 PM)
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